Completing a trail encircling Pikes Peak and expanding camping opportunities in the shadow of the landmark locals call “America’s Mountain” are expected to be the first priorities of a new partnership between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and other public land managers in the Pikes Peak region.
Gov. Jared Polis announced the collaboration involving CPW, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, nearby municipalities, counties and other agencies last week in his annual State of the State message.
The nonprofit Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) had campaigned for CPW management of federal lands adjacent to the 14,107-foot mountain, which have been adversely impacted by high visitation pressures and federal funding challenges.
“This is just the first step in a multi-year plan to improve and expand world-class recreation opportunities like camping, fishing, hiking and more on the majestic mountain in a way that benefits the landscape, our way of life and local economy,” Polis said. “Anyone who visits our state parks knows exactly what CPW is capable of delivering.”
The concept was inspired by an existing model. CPW already manages camping, fishing and hiking in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, a 150-mile stretch of mostly federal land along the Arkansas River from Leadville to Pueblo.
Issues on public lands on and around Pikes Peak in recent years have included discarded trash, dumping, user conflicts, resource damage and overwhelmed restroom facilities.
“Our community has said this is a very special place, and we really need exceptional natural resource conservation,” said Becky Leinweber, executive director of the PPORA, in an interview. “At the same time, we need exceptional recreational opportunities. We have people retiring here, we have people visiting and moving for that reason, and that’s only going to increase.
We have some amazing land managers in multiple jurisdictions, but resources have been challenging,” she continued. “Resources are going down when the need and use are going up. How do we provide exceptional management so we have these great places preserved and to be enjoyed?”
CPW’s first priority is the completion of the Ring the Peak trail around Pikes Peak. Ultimately the trail will measure approximately 95 miles, with 63 miles already in place, according to Mike Rigney, project manager for Ring the Peak. CPW would take over the development and management of the trail.
“We think CPW is a great galvanizing organization that everyone can get behind to coordinate and help manage the project,” said Glenn Carlson, executive director of the region’s Trails & Open Space Coalition. “There are lots of jurisdictions, government entities, non-government entities, forest service, BLM, private landowners. To have one entity that is able to pull everybody together and keep driving this, keep pulling it forward, I think is a critical aspect of it.”
Completion of the trail, which has been a dream of recreation users in the area for two decades, may require the realignment of some existing trails. Routing the trail where there is now a 26-mile gap also has yet to be determined, but Leinweber welcomes CPW’s involvement.
“They are committed to exploring getting this trail completed, and that would be amazing for this area,” Leinweber said. “I’m excited to say this because 18 months ago, I couldn’t have said I think we’re going to see a completed Ring the Peak trail corridor. Now I can say that with some real confidence, we’re going to get this done and we’re going to do it right.”
Leinweber said she expects CPW to develop additional camping in the area as well. “Their funding is largely user-based. Day passes, campgrounds, is what funds a lot of what they do. They will be looking for appropriate areas to do some developed camping. On Pikes Peak, that is a need. I think it will be great to have some additional camping opportunities for folks.”
Federal protections and regulations still will govern the management of forest service and BLM lands under CPW management.
“There are still federal processes that are in place, so even with a partnering manager who may see that there needs to be recreational development such as camping in an area, those federal regulations are still in place and have to be followed,” Leinweber said. “There is no land transfer. There’s no change in ownership.”
In 2020, Polis signed an executive order creating the Regional Partnerships Initiative. Funded by CPW and Great Outdoors Colorado, regional partnerships bring together interest groups and public land managers to balance management, conservation and recreation while relying heavily on local input. The PPORA was one of the first to be created in the state. Now there are 20. Others include NoCo Places, which is exploring land management ideas for northern Colorado, the Summit County Outdoor Coalition, the West Slope Outdoors Alliance and the Eagle County Community Wildlife Roundtable.
“It’s not a top-down process where the state dictates what needs to happen,” Leinweber said. “They recognize local communities can best decide the priorities and values for their local communities.”
On Pikes Peak that will mean balancing the wishes not just of hikers, mountain bikers and campers, but hunters and anglers, too. CPW already manages hunting on forest service land across Colorado.
“To me, it’s a treasured mountain,” Carlson said. “It’s incredibly diverse habitat. You can hike on it, you can ride your mountain bike. You can also get into prime outdoor habitat if hunting and fishing are what you enjoy. I’m an outdoorsman, so I think the wildlife aspect of it is critical. There’s bighorn sheep up there, elk, you name it. That aspect needs to be looked out for.”
CPW’s responsibility will be similar to that of the forest service — managing public land for multiple uses.
“It’s not easy work because all these people have different perspectives, different goals, but there are a lot of similarities with lots of overlap,” Leinweber said of the interest groups PPORA represents. “At the end of the day, I think we all want the same thing. We want beautiful robust natural places and wildlife. We also want opportunities to enjoy them. Working together is what this is all about. It’s collaboration at its core.”